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Canisius Men's Lacrosse News |
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October 6 , 2008
Canisius Men’s Lacrosse Names Captains for 2009 Season |
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The Canisius men’s lacrosse team has named its captains for the 2009 season. Senior Mark Leonard (Syracuse, N.Y.), juniors Matt Barkas (Pittsburg, Pa.), Mike Benzinger (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Tim Rowley (West Seneca, N.Y.) plus sophomore Adam Jones (Owen Sound, Ontario) will lead the Griffs as the team attempts to defend their 2008 MAAC Championship.
“Leadership is crucial to our success this season,” said head coach Randy Mearns. “To replace the quality of (2008 captains) Matt Hajek and Tom Hensel is certainly no easy task. These five student-athletes have those same qualities and exemplify the student-athlete in our entire program. They have the passion, work ethic and character to be great captains. I am proud that they will lead our team into the 2009 season.”
Leonard and Barkas anchored the Canisius defense during the 2008 season. Leonard played in all 16 games with 15 starting assignments, recording 40 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers and adding an assist. His 21 caused turnovers led the team.
Barkas, who played the long-stick midfielder position, posted 73 ground balls, 18 caused turnovers and four points on one goal and three assists. Barkas ranked second in the MAAC and fourth nationally among long-stick players with 4.56 ground balls per game.
Benzinger played in 16 games with 11 starting assignments during his sophomore campaign. He finished fifth on the team with 17 points, tallying 12 goals and adding five assists. The Buffalo, N.Y. native posted at least one point in 11 of Canisius’ games last season.
Rowley is the Griffs leader at the faceoff X. Last season, he won 85 faceoffs and ranked second on the team with 70 ground balls. For his career, the 2006 MAAC Rookie of the Year ranks third in school history with a .552 faceoff winning percentage (223-404).
Jones became the first Griff to garner All-America honors last season. As a rookie, the Owen Sound, Ontario native led the Griffs with 47 points and 38 goals. Jones was also named to the 2008 All-MAAC First Team following his freshman season.
Canisius won a school record 10 games during the 2008 season. The Griffs also advanced to their first-ever NCAA Tournament after winning their first MAAC Championship. The Griffs return 22 letterwinners and six starters from the 2008 team.
Source: Canisius Sports Information Department
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